PHILADELPHIA – The pile of fan mail sat in a bin next to a locker in the Phillies’ clubhouse.

Returning from a 10-game road trip meant there were plenty of baseball cards to sign and return. While some players might view it as a chore, Pat Neshek takes a different approach.

Neshek, 36, has been an avid baseball card collector since he was a kid growing up near Minneapolis. He uses the hobby to connect with fans and fellow players.

Neshek runs a unique exchange. To any fan who sends him a card signed by the athlete depicted, regardless of sport, Neshek will send a signed card of his own. He even maintains a post office box to which fans can send cards.

Once, he received a signed Carl Yastrzemski card. He also has been sent a few inked by Wade Boggs. He even had someone send a card signed by their gym teacher, who was a former baseball player.

“That’s the most fun part – what random card will show up,” Neshek said. “I’ve had a few ex-teammates’ cards. That’s the best part for me, it’s not the big star guys. I like getting the obscure guys the most.

“If nothing else, it helps spread the game of baseball.”

Though he has enviable access to the game’s biggest stars, Neshek requests signed cards like many other fans, he send letters to the players whose signatures he seeks. He typically signs the letter with an alias – like Matt Nesh.

“It’s kind of a dying thing now,” Neshek said. “Guys are really tough to get access to. I don’t think that’s really going to get any better down the road with the contracts. Guys don’t have incentive to sign for fans.”

On the field, Neshek stands out both for his funky delivery and his passion. He let out a yell Wednesday night after stranding a runner on third base in a scoreless game against the heart of the Boston lineup.

“Sometimes it fires up your team. The situation really dictates it. If a guy hits a ball 500 feet, hey, go celebrate however you want,” Neshek said. “I have no problem with it. I think it’s good for the game.”

Known for his distinctive, herky-jerky throwing motion, Neshek has become an important cog in the Phillies’ bullpen.

Between his funky sidearm angle, his unique hobby and a journeyman career, Neshek is in many ways the most interesting player on the Phillies. His performance 2 1/2 months into the season has him on course for his second All-Star Game appearance.

Accidental motion

Neshek’s senior season at Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was nearly over when a freak play altered his athletic fate.

During the final game of his season in 1999, Neshek was batting when the opposing pitcher drilled him on his right wrist. The impact left a welt that’s still visible today.

After the injury, Neshek could no longer throw from his normal 3/4 arm angle without feeling intense pain. But throwing sidearm did not hurt.

To this day, Neshek cannot throw overhand or 3/4 without pain.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to have a career like I’ve had,” Neshek said. “I don’t think the age is going to affect me with the arm angle. If I can keep it above 88 mph, and I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, it’s going to be a matter of how long I want to do it.”

More than 450 games into his MLB career, Neshek has his own approach to arm maintenance.

His program involves, well, almost nothing. Neshek doesn’t lift weights or do any arm training. He’s unlikely to be seen icing his arm after an outing. On game days, he’ll show up to the ballpark, eat, maybe play catch and shag flies during batting practice.

The Twins drafted Neshek out of Butler University in the sixth round in 2002. By the time he reached the majors in 2006, he was lifting weights regularly. Then in 2008, Minnesota put him on an arm-care program. Shortly after, he tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing elbow. He was 27.

“It was really hard to come back and replicate the funkiness,” Neshek said. “I was like, ‘How did I do that before?’ In ‘10, I was up and down. I really didn’t pitch as much as I should have.

“I really didn’t like that,” Neshek added of the Twins’ program. “I liked having the flexibility, being loose. I like stretching a lot.”

The Phillies are Neshek’s seventh organization. Two years after the elbow injury, Neshek was toiling in Triple-A for the Orioles. His fastball finally returned, hitting 90+ mph regularly. That, combined with his deceptive motion, turned heads.

Later in 2012, the Oakland A’s purchased him from the Orioles and Neshek has found a home in the big leagues ever since. Over the last six seasons, he has posted a 2.54 ERA.

“It’s a lot to go through mentally to be on such a high level to the lowest lows, it really made me humble,” Neshek said.

Always in relief

When the Twins drafted Neshek, they told him he’d be a reliever. Typically, pitchers who are drafted that early begin their professional careers as starters and get moved to the bullpen if they struggle or don’t develop their pitches.

Though he has an effective fastball, slider and changeup, Neshek was always groomed to pitch out of the ‘pen.

His motion is particularly difficult because hitters typically face it only once a game.

“No one can have any approach because by the time you get ready to see the ball and then you read the ball well, you’re already at two strikes,” said teammate Andres Blanco, who’s faced Neshek once. “When he changes speeds, it makes hitters crazy.”

He’s one of only 15 active right-handed pitchers in MLB to appear in 450 or more career games without making a start. And of those relievers, his 2.79 career ERA is fifth best.

“It’s hard because you as a reliever, you only get 50-70 innings and if you have a couple of clunkers, people hate you,” Neshek said. “Mentally every day is a grind. If you have a bad one it could really live on you for a while.”

Neshek’s 0.69 ERA is the second best among all MLB relievers. Only the Yankees’ Dellin Betances (0.42 ERA) has been better. Neshek’s WHIP also ranks among the baseball’s best relievers, sitting tied for eighth at 0.81.

Neshek owns an active 12 1/3-inning scoreless streak, which is the longest active streak in the National League. His 0.69 ERA is the lowest by a Phillies reliever through the first 25 innings of a season since Brad Lidge in 2008 (0.72).

“He’s a gamer,” manager Pete Mackanin said. “I like watching him pitch. He has energy, is fun to watch, attacks the hitters. ... There is nothing I don’t like about him.”

Neshek has been pleased with his role on the Phillies. With the Astros the last two years, he was rarely allowed to face left-handed hitters. Neshek, who is a free agent at the end of the season, has quickly become the Phillies’ most valuable trade chip.

“The pitches, they come out at that angle and guys have a hard time figuring out,” Neshek said. “It looks like it’s 95 mph and it’ll say 90 on the scoreboard.”

Neshek is trying not to dwell on the possibility of him being named to the National League All-Star team. With every MLB team getting at least one player represented in the game, Neshek is a clear frontrunner for the Phillies.

“Having a year like this proves, hey, I can still do it,” Neshek said. “Middle relievers get no love, so it’d be a really big deal being a non-closer to get that honor. I’d be thrilled.”